After months of anticipation, the day is finally upon me. I woke up and checked my watch to confirm the fact I already knew so well: by the end of today I will be in a country part of a continent completely unknown to me. Everything familiar to me is about to vanish for the next 4 months, for after today everything will be fresh and new. From the terminal my plane takes off in, to the type of food I eat in Seoul will be completely different. I woke up with a sense of fear as well as excitement knowing everything will be a new experience for the next 4 months. I made the decision to go to Seoul without much knowledge on the city and culture. To better educate myself, I took Korean history classes and sought out friends and family familiar with the country known for its viral K-pop culture and its obsession with Soju and Noraebang (Karaoke). I learned what I could, but knowledge can only help so much when traveling alone to a place where the dialect and traditions are unfamiliar to say the least. What I need is experience, and that is what I am attempting to do gain through this trip. To get lost in a world completely unlike my own in every way I can comprehend is the challenge. To fully absorb the culture and gain a better understanding of Korean society is the goal, and in doing so, I believe I will learn more about myself than I ever have in my 20 years of living. I am more than excited for this new adventure I am about to embark on, and this new life I am about to take on.
Coming from a place so small it cannot be considered a town –it is considered a village– in which the nearest metropolitan area is at least an hour away, I am intrigued at what daily life at Yonsei University will be like. The campus is in the center of the bustling town of Sinchon and only a 15-minute train ride to the center of Seoul. The village of Winnetka, the place I consider home, takes about 7 minutes to cross completely by car, and coming from a small town to a sprawling up and coming urban environment like Seoul will give me the opportunity to fully immerse myself in every part of the capital of Korea.
Fast forward several hours, and I am now sitting on the plane writing this piece. As I sit through this 13-hour flight, I am captivated by the geography of the multiple countries we pass over that I have yet to travel to. By simply looking at an unknown area fascinates me; I cannot begin to imagine what it is going to be like when I am completely surrounded by the unknown area of Seoul. The flight has been very pleasant, and I have started my cultural immersion before landing in Korea by enjoying the flights complimentary Korean wine and Bulgogi dishes. Another aspect of Korea I have begun to catch onto is the focus on beauty. From every product in SkyMall Magazine being sold in order to “enhance you’re beauty”, to every topic on KBS News relating to techniques to trim down your weight, it seems that the aesthetic of one’s image is of high importance. Regardless, my excitement is on an exponential incline as we close in on our destination. So far, everything has been working out well, and I am more than excited to land. Hopefully it stays that way as I continue my travels in South Korea.
**NOTE: Due to Wi-Fi discrepancies, this blog entry was originally meant to be posted on August 17th, 2016, but was not able to be posted until August 25th, 2016.
